Celebrating Thanksgiving in the Bronx

Celebrating Thanksgiving in the Bronx
by David Greene

Hundreds of volunteers at church’s and community centers across the borough joined together to cook, eat and pray together as Thanksgiving 2017 was celebrated across the borough on Thursday, November 23.

More than 50 volunteers, many some of the 150 congregants of the Fordham United Methodist Church, cooked their own meals at home before feeding 454 residents of the Marion Avenue church, during the church’s 15th annual Thanksgiving dinner.

Volunteers served more than 450 meals during a Thanksgiving dinner held at the Fordham United Methodist Church on Marion Avenue.–Photo by David Greene

Pastor Margaret Schramm-Horn acknowledged,”We have a very small oven, everybody cooks at home and we all bring it here,” this year providing 70 more meals than a year earlier.

Volunteers from Part Of the Solution (POTS) held an annual Thanksgiving meal at Our Lady of Refuge on East 196 Street and Briggs Avenue, in the Bedford Park section, where they served upwards of 600 meals.

The Redeem Christian Church of God, located at 684 Britton Street opened in the Allerton section just two year’s earlier and already boasts 100 members.

Volunteers from Part Of the Soultion (POTS) helped deliver and serve upwards of 600 meals at Our Lady of Refuge Church.–Photo by David Greene

“It’s a church, but we live like a family,” recalled Pastor Segun Ajagbe, who’s members come from several different tribes of Africa, but also boasts many Latinos from the area.

The church celebrates Thanksgiving by passing out bags of groceries to neighborhood residents on the day before Thanksgiving. The food was donated by the pantry of their sister-church located on Morris Avenue.

Congregants spent three days fasting and praying before holding their Thanksgiving celebration at The Redeem Christian Church of God in the Allerton section.

Members of the church would fast and pray until Friday, when they celebrate with their feast.

Meanwhile, the police officers at the 42nd Precinct joined Deputy Inspector Ernest Morales lll in setting up tables and serving meals to residents of the Morrisania community.